Ham-curing device



sept. 18, 192s. 1,684,865

B. HANSEN ET AL HAM CURING DEVICE Filed Jan. 3, 1928 mw i g my, w

/A/vE/v raf? N A TTD R EYE Patented Sept. 18, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,684,865 PATENT OFFICE.

IBEBTRAM HANSEN AND PETER J'. RAMION, 0F SYRAC'ISE, NEW YGRK.

HAM-cuanta DEVICE.

Application tiled January 3, 1928. Serial No. 244,192.

This invention relates to a ham curing device by which brine or other pickling fluid may be injected into the ham or other meat near the bone or bones for curing and .preserving the same.

The main object is to provide a simple and eilicient device of this character capable of being inserted by pressure into the meat for discharging the curing liquid near the bones thereof without liability of admitting air A through the incision made bv the instrument,

it being understood that the deterioration of the meat usually begins near the bone or at some other part of the meat which may be exposed to air.

Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the device will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly brolten away, of a ham curing device embodying the various features of the invention.

.Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, partly broken away, of the same device, the valve and outlet for controlling the flow of liquid through the device being closed.

Figure 3 is a sectional view, partly broljren away of a part of the same device, showing the valve and outlet in their open positions.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken in the plane of line 4-4, Figure 1.

As illustrated, this device comprises a valve case -1 having a transverse opening and also provided with a lengthwise inlet opening -3- anda lengthwise guide opening -4- extending longitudinal y from opposite sides of the transverse opening or valve chamber -2-.

A plunger valve -5- is neciprocally movable in the valve chamber 2 across and between the lengthwise openings -3 and 4 and is provided with a transverse opening -6- movable into and out of registration with the lengthwise openings -3- and Libut is yieldingly held out of registration with said lengthwise opening by coiled spring -7- as shown in Figure 2.

The lower end of the valve chamber -2- is closed by a removable cap -8- screwed or otherwise secured to the adjacent end of the valve chamber and forming a seat for the lower end of the spring -7 having its upper end engaged with the lower end of the plunger valve -5.

The valve chamber -2- is preferably cylindrical while the valve -4- is of the same cross sectional form and size to closely fit the walls of said chamber to form a liquid-tight joint therewith when the valve is closed.

The side of the valve facing the guide opening -4- is provided with a cam face -9- just below the opening -6- or between said opening and the lower end of the valve, the portion of the valve just below the cam -9- being recessed to receive the adjacent end of a delivery tube 10- which is movable endwise in a tubular guide -11- and is provided at its outer or front end with a forwardly tapered needle -12.

The front end of the guide opening -4- is closed by a tubular plug -13- screwed or otherwise secured in the adjacent end of the valve case -1 to form a liquid-tight joint therewith and also to form a part of the guide for the axially movable deliverv tube -10-. v

The inner end of the delivery tube -10- adjacent the valve -5 is slightly enlarged to form a shoulder which is adapted to be engaged by the adjacent end of a coiled spring -14- having its other end engaged with the inner end face of the tubular bushing by yieldingly holding the inner end of the delivery tube 10 against the adjucent portion of the valve -5-` The rear or inner end of the guide tulp -11- is screwed or otherwise secured in the front end of the bushing -13- to hold itagaiiist axial or angular movement. The guide tube 11 is cylindrical and of relatively small but uniform diameter from end to end or from the front end of the bushing 13- to the rear end of the needle 12V to permit it to readily enter any meat portion of the hamv to the bone thereof.

The delivery tube 10- is also cylindrical and of substantially the same diameter as the inner diameter of the guide tube -11 so as to closely fit the walls thereof throughout the length of the guide tube to form a liquid and air-tight joint therewith.

A handle -15- is secured to the rear end of the valve case -1- around the inlet opening 3 and is provided with a central lengthwise opening -16- registering with said inlet opening to permit the flow of liquid throu h the device when the valve 5 is opene A tubular nipple -17- is secured in the rear end of the handle -15- in alinementA with the lengthwise opening -16 and is connected by a union l8- to an extension nipple -19- which, in turn, may be connected by a flexible or other pipe, not shown, to the source of supply for the brine or other curing liquid.

A valve operating lever 20- is extended across and against the outer or upper end of the valve 5 and has its front end offset downwardly and pivoted at -21- to a The front end of the lever extends lengthwise of and directly over the handle lin suiiciently spaced relation thereto to permit it to be operated foropening the valve -5- against the action of the spring -7- which normally tends to urge the valve 5 and free end of the lever 20 outwardly to the position indicated in Figures l and 2.

Suitable means is provided for limiting the outward movement of the valve and free end of the lever consisting, in this instance, in providing the downwardly offset portion of the front end of the lever with a shoulderl 2B- extending forwardly some distance beyond the vertical plane of the pivot -21 and adapted to engage the upper face of the adjacent portion of the valve case as shown more clearly in Figure 1.

The opening 6- extends diametrically through the valve -5- at right angles to the axis thereof and is movable into and out of registration with the inlet and outlet ports 3 and -4- and in order to maintain proper alinement of the passage 6- with the ports 3 and 4 when the valve is opened the upper end of the valve is reduced and flattened at Q4- to rest in a. similarly formed recess 25 in the underside of the adjacent portion 4of the lever -20.

This connection between the lever 20 and outer end of the valve -5- is particularly simple and eflicient in holding the valve agamst turning movement but obviously many other forms of connections may be used without departing from the spirit of this invention.

The delivery tube 10 is provided near its distal end with a radial discharge opening or openings -26- which are movable within and beyond the adjacent end of the guide tube 1las the delivery' tube is reciprocated axially.

The needle point or entrant member -12- is screwed or otherwise secured to the distal end of the delivery tube -10 close to but slightly in front of the openings 26-, the rear end of said entrant member '12- being of substantially the same external diameter as that of the guide tube 1lso as to abut against the adjacent end lof the guide tube when the delivery tube is returned to its innermost position by the spring -14 at which time the discharge openings 26- will be closed by the adjacent end of the delivery tube.

That is, when the pressure upon the lever -20 is released and the valve -5- is allowed to open by the action of the spring --7-- the delivery tube will be moved rearwardly by its spring lllto cause its rear end to enter the recess -9f below the cam surface -9- while the discharge openings 2G- in the distal end of the delivery tube will be moved inwardly within the adjacent end of the guide tube --11- at which time the passage of the liquid from the inlet port 3-- to the outlet port -4- and delivery tube -10- will be cut off by the valve -5- and the discharge openings -26 will be closed by the surrounding portion of the guide tube .-11-.

The entrant member -12- is imperforate and forms a closure for the distal end of the delivery tube just in front of the openings H26- so that when the valve -5' and delivery tube are in their normal positions of rest the rear end of the entrant H12- will ellectively close against the adjacent end of the guide tube and, together with the closing of the discharge opening 26- by said guide tube, forms a seal to prevent the entrance of air through the delivery tubeand into the meat when the distal end of the device is inserted into said meat.

0 pera tion.

Assumin that the movable parts of the device are 1n their normal positions of rest and that it is desired to inject a curing fluid into a ham or other meat and that the nipple -19- is suitably coupled to a source of supply for the curing liquid either by gravity or other pressure, this liquid will then flow through the passage -16 of the handle and thence into the inlet port -3- of the valve case -1-. The device may then be supported by hand by means of the handle -15 and the lever -20- be pressed by the same hand forgan instant for operating t-he valve -5- to register its passage 6 with the ports 3- and 4 and vat about the same to cause the cam 9- to engage and move the delivery tube -10 forwardly for temporarily'opening the discharge openings 26- beyond the adjacent end of the guide tube -11- so as to fill the delivery tube and thereby to expel the air therefrom about which the lever -20- may be released to allow the valve -5- to close and also to permit the return of the delivery tube 10 to its closed position.

The device is then urged forwardly to cause the needle point -12- and guide tube -11 to enter the meat to the required depth or until the needle point -12- is in proximity to the required depth or until the needle point l2- is in proximity to the bone of the meat at which time the lever `20 will be again operated to depress the valve 5 against the action of its retracting spring -7-- until the passage -6 registers with the inlet and outlet ports 3 and 4- during which time the cam -9- will have engaged and moved the delivery tube -10- forwardly a suilicient .distance to expose the discharge openings 26- at the rear end of the guide tube thus ermitting the discharge of the curing liqui at the required depth within the meat. When the required amount of brine or other curing -liquid has been injected into the meat in the manner just described the hand pressure upon the lever --20- is released to allow the spring -7- to return the valve -5- to its closed position Awhile the spring 111- serves to return the delivery tube 410- to its closed position, it being understood that suflicient clearance is left between the rear end of the delivery tube and bottom wall of the Qcess -9- to allow the rear end of the needle point l2- to engage the adjacent end of the guide tube to form a liquid and air tight joint therewith and thereby to retain a sufficient quantity of the curing fluid within the delivery tube to hermetically seal the same against the entrance of air. It will be observed that the various parts of the device are smooth and easily cleansed. If it should be desired to remove the valve -5- for cleansing the same or the interior of the valve lchamber 2- the screw cap 8- may be easily removed and the delivery tube -10- withdrawn forwardly against the action of the spring sufliciently to allow the valve -5- and its spring 7 to be withdrawn from the lower end of the valve chamber. On the other hand, if it is desiredl to cleanse the delivery tube the bushing -13- may be unscrewed from the valve case 'to permit the same with the 'guide tube -11- thereon and the delivery tube to be Vwithdrawn forwardly from the valve case whereupon the needle point 12- may be unscrewedfrom the forward end of the delivery tube to permit the latter to be cleansed internally as well as externally. Again, if the delivery tube or any of th passages leading thereto should Ybecome clogged from any cause the coupling member 17- at the proximal end of the handle l5-f and the needle point --12-V may be removed from their Krespective parts whereupon the valve -5 may be depressed by the handle -20- to bring its passage into alinement with the ports -3- and 4- whereupon a wire or equivalent cleaning device may be passed through the registering passages to expel anyrmatter which may have lodged therein.

What we claim is 1. In a meat curinv device, a valve case having a valve chamber and ports leading from opposite sides of said chamber, a valve reciproz-ally movable in said chamber and provided with a passage therethrough movable into and out of registeration. with said ports, means for conducting a curing fluid to one of the ports, a guide tube having one end secured to the valve case. around the 'other port, a delivery tube reciprocally mov able in the other port and extending through and beyond the outer end of the guide tube and provided with a discharge opening normally closed by said guide tube, and means actuated by the opening movement of the valve for moving the delivery tube axially suflicient to expose its -discharge opening beyond the adjacent end of the guide tube for discharging the fluid therethrough.

2. In a meat curin device, a valve case having a valve cham er and ports leading from opposite sides of said chamber, a .valve reciprocally movable in said chamber and provided with a passage therethrough movable into and out of registration with said ports, means for conductinga curing fluid to one of the ports, a guide tube havin one end secured to the valve casel aroun the other port, a delivery tube reeiprocally movable in the other port and extending throu h and beyondl the outer end of the guide tu e and provided with a discharge opening.4 normally closed by said guide tube, and means actuated by 'the opening movement of the valve for moving the delivery tube axially sufficient to expose its discharge opening beyond the adjacent end of the guide tube for discharging the fluid therethrough, and a tapered entrant'member secured to the distal e'nd of the delivery tube.

3. In a meat curing device, a a delivery tube reciprocally mova le/axially and provided with an inlet in one end and aA vide tubes,"

tapered entrant member on its other end,

said delivery .tube having an outlet adjacent the entrant member and normally closed by the uide tube, means operable at will for moving the delivery tube endwise to expose the outlet vbeyond the adjacent end of the guide tube, and means for conducting a curing fluid into the delivery tube.

4. In a meat -curin device, a valve case having a valve cham r and ports/leading to and from said chamber, a self-closing valve controlling said ports, means for supplying a curing fluid to one of the ports, a delivery tube connected to the other port and provided with a dischar e opening, means normally closing said ischarge opening, means operable at will for opening said valve, and means actuated by the opening movement of the valve or'causing a relative movement of the delivery tube and its outlet closing means for opening said outlet.

5. In a meat curing device, a valve case having a valve.l chamber and co-axial ports leading to and from said chamber at right angles thereto, aplunger valve movable in said chamber and provided with atransverse passage movable into and out` of registration with saidl ports as the plunger. is reciprocated, yieldlngmeans normallyrholding the valve in its closed' position, means operable. at will for-'opening the valve, a, handle secured to. one-side of the .valve .case and providedwith a...passage alined with saidports, a uidetube'secured to the other s'de of the valve ease in -alinement with said ports, a

delivery tube reciprocally movable endwise i of and within the guide tube and having its distal end provided with a tapered entrant member and an outlet opening normally closed by said guide tube, yielding means for holding the guide tube in its normal positlon, and means actuated b the opening movement of the valve for s lifting the delivery tubefrom'its normal. position to open the outlet.

In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our hands this 20th day of December, 1927. y

BERTRAM HANSEN: PETER J. RAMioN. 

